THE CLUB FOR UNESCO OF PIRAEUS & ISLANDS

PRESENTS THE ORATORIO OF PANAGIOTIS KAROUSOS

THE SONG OF THE NATIONS

CONDUCTED BY FAIDRA GIANNELOU

A concert event for the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages

The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages (IY2019) to raise awareness of the crucial role languages play in people’s daily lives.

WEDNESDAY 30 JANUARY 2019 | 8 pm

Theatre “Anna & Maria Kalouta”, Timokreontos 6A, Neos Kosmos, Athens

Program:

Oratorio “ The Song of the Nations ” for soloists, choir and Symphony Orchestra

 Overture, chorus and duet “Prometheus & Io” from the opera “ Prometheus Bound ”  Choruses from the operas “ Trachiniae ” and “ Alexander the Great ”

Soloist: Irini Konsta , soprano – Vasilis Asimakopoulos , bass

Graduates’ Choir of Music School Pallini

Music Educators’ Choir of Attiki “Choremus”

Hellenic Symphony Orchestra

Under the direction of Maestro Faidra Giannelou

 

Greetings: Ioannis Maronitis , President of the Club for UNESCO of Piraeus & Islands & Member of the Executive Board of the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centers and Associations (WFUCA) for Europe and North America

Oratorio: “The Song of the Nations” by Panagiotis Karousos

“The Song of the Nations” is an oratorio dedicated to the United Nations. It was presented in Montreal, Canada on February 23, 2003, with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) part of UN (United Nations), under the auspices of UNESCO Canada, and the City of Montreal with great success. The presentation was made in the magnificent Notre-Dame Basilica, with Canadian soprano Lambroula Maria Pappas, Brazilian bass Daniel Bonato, L’Ensemble Choral St-Eustache directed by Pierre Turcotte, and OSJL- L Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro André Gauthier.

Honorary guest of the World Premiere of Oratorio was the ICAO President Assad Kotaite, who gave a greeting. All the Embassies and Representatives of the member countries of the United Nations was invited, in particular the ICAO Department, among the speakers was the Montreal Mayor Pierre Bourque, Ambassadors of Greece Nikolaos Matsis, France Jean-François Dobelle, Turkey Said Calisir, Georgios Zacharioudakis Consul General Greece in Montreal, Khalil El-Habre Consul General of Lebanon in Montreal, and others.

The Song of Nations is an oratorio for symphony orchestra, mixed choir, and two soloists, soprano and bass, combined by six poems written by great poets of the six official languages of the United Nations Organization (English, French, Russian, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic). Also, the composer added an Overture and a Hymn to the United Nations.

ICAO President Dr. Assad Kotaite called the work: “a masterpiece of art that brings us the message of unity and peace, a magnificent hymn to the United Nations”.